Ceiling-mounted light fixtures using fluorescent lamps are desirable in certain mass transit vehicles. Ceiling-mounted fixtures have been used for many years but there have been problems of space requirements, light distribution and aesthetic appearance. In the past, it has been a common practice to install surface mounted strip lighting fixtures extending over the aisle of the bus. Such a fixture provides aisle lighting and side lighting for the cornice or luggage compartment areas above the seats. The difficulty with this arrangment is that it interferes with the head room in the vehicle. Recessed lamp fixtures have been used with a lens below the ceiling for directing light downwardly to the aisle but without side lenses for providing lighting of the luggage rack or cornice of the bus. Heretofore, satisfactory lighting using recessed ceiling-mounted strip lighting fixtures has presented a problem by reason of the roof structure of the vehicle. In particular, a typical vehicle roof structure comprises a roof supported on a plurality of transverse beams or roof bows spaced along the length of the roof. A light fixture which is recessed into the ceiling must be limited in length to the distance between the roof bows. Heretofore in such an arrangement, a separate lens is provided with each fixture with a separation between the lenses. The installation of discrete light fixtures recessed into the ceiling with the ends of adjacent fixtures spaced apart solves the head room problem but it results in nonuniform lighting and an unattractive design. There is a need for an improved ceiling-mounted recessed fixture of the strip lighting type.
A general object of this invention is to provide an improved ceiling-mounted light fixture for mass transit vehicles which overcomes certain disadvantages of the prior art.